Presley Peppermint's Life In Sugar Rush
by Crumbelina's Sweet Admirer
Summary: Presley Peppermint is a new racer in Sugar Rush. This is the story of how she makes it in Sugar Rush, by making new friends and having fun. Pairings: Peppermint Creampuffs, Mint Swirl, Peanut Butter Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Skittles. (Most of the pairings in this story are OC & Real Racer pairings) I do not own Wreck-It Ralph, Sugar Rush, or its characters.
1. OC Contest Winners

Hello, everyone! I am here to announce the winners of my OC Contest for this story! Just remember, if you don't get picked, don't feel bad. I had a hard time picking from all the OC's I had to choose from.

* * *

Boys:

Clair Cremecape- Owned By ShootingStarBlitz

Herschel Nougatson- Owned By Captain Alaska

Barry Bubblestein- Owned By Barry Bubblestein

Dylan Lancer- Owned By Terminator

* * *

Girls:

Honey Potts- Owned By VickyT36

Bubblina Gumdrop- Owned By Bubblina Gumdrop

Skittela Starburst- Owned By dark demon122

Licorice Liqued- Owned By Lord Candycane (And yes, I plan to use her sister, Witchy)

* * *

Extra Characters (Some I plan on using in this story):

Taffyta's robot workers- Owned By Agent BM (her restaurant will have a key role in this story)

Witchy Halloweena- Owned by Lord Candycane (Licorice's sister)

* * *

Congrats to the winners!


	2. Presley Arrives In Sugar Rush

It was an ordinary day in Sugar Rush. The game had recently gone through an upgrade, and the new racers were resting up at Red Twist Park before the roster race.

"What a day of racing." Herschel Nougatson says as he sits cross-legged on a park bench with a bottle of Pepsi in his hand. "I've never raced so hard in my life."

"Herschel, mate, I couldn't agree with ya more." Dylan says as he sits on his motorcycle, the Cola Thunder 1000. His motorcycle is one of his prized possessions.

Barry and Bubblina were chasing each other around the park, which was Bubblina's idea of "unwinding". Her best friend, Honey, was sitting on a bench, thinking of new honey recipes to use at her shop as her bees are buzzing gently beside her.

Clair was practicing swordplay as he always does, with Skittela watching him intently as she practices her self-defense moves.

"Mon cherie, maybe you shouldn't be so persistent about practicing so much self-defense." Clair says, putting his sword away for a brief moment.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so determined to become a knight. You know our game doesn't need it." Skittela says as she tosses her hair back. "I know this because I read your mind. And I am a black belt in karate, not to mention I own this katana." She shows Clair her sword.

"You..." Clair starts to say, but he quickly turns away from her, knowing she could easily hurt him if he made her any angrier.

Licorice is practicing her power-lifting, because she was programmed with above average super strength. She's considered to be one of the strongest females in the game, but she's also friendly and kind-hearted. She doesn't let people walk all over her. Her sister, Witchy, is just as tough as she is.

No one knew that on this day, the last of the new avatars was spawning in. Nobody knew what she looked like. Soon, they would meet her.

* * *

Hours later at the track, all the racers were standing in front of Vanellope's popcorn podium. The time had come for the new racer to spawn in, but all the racers were getting sick of waiting.

"Ugh...Why did Vanellope call us here again?" Gloyd asks Swizzle, who's twirling a strand of his shoulder-length green hair.

"Something about the last of the new racers coming in." Swizzle says as he continues twirling his hair.

"Oh." Gloyd says, still standing next to his best friend.

Taffyta, Candlehead, and Rancis were all standing in their own little cluster, talking.

"What do you think this new racer will be like?" Candlehead asks, gazing up at her candle like she always does.

"I hope he or she doesn't try to get in my way." Taffyta says, eating one of her strawberry lollipops. "I'm serious about racing, you know."

"Maybe this new racer will be nice. It'll be good to see a fresh face on the track." Rancis says, his hands in his blazer pocket.

* * *

Some time later, a mint-themed kart comes speeding up the track, blaring "1985" by Bowling For Soup, and a peppermint-themed girl is singing along to the music.

"You think that's the new racer?" Dylan asks Herschel.

"Looks like it." Herschel says.

The racer gets out of the kart, taking off her helmet. She has ivory skin and long white hair with red streaks in it with a peppermint beret that has a red &amp; white peppermint in the center of it. She's wearing a red-and-green striped dress with matching leggings, a red-and-white striped jacket, and black dress shoes with red and green soles, and she has a small red metallic purse-like bag slung around her shoulder with peppermint lollipops inside it.

"Who are you?" Bubblina asks the young lady standing next to the parked kart.

"My name's Presley Peppermint! The newest racer to ever arrive in style!" she says, jumping up and down.

"You're quite an excitable one." Skittela says, looking at her.

"That I am!" Presley says, pulling a lollipop from her bag. "Want one?" She offers Skittela one of her lollipops.

"Um, thank you." Skittela says, taking the lollipop from Presley. She unwraps the lollipop, but before she can eat it, it explodes in her face.

Presley laughs. "Joke lollipops, a total classic!" she says, pulling a real one from her bag and putting it in her mouth.

"That was pretty good." Gloyd says, walking up to her.

"Thanks." Presley says, looking at him.

"My name's Gloyd, by the way." Gloyd says, shaking Presley's hand. "I see you're a prankster yourself."

Presley nods. "I guess you and I can out-prank each other!" she says while laughing.

"Maybe so." Gloyd says. "Nice to meet you, Presley." he says, walking back over to where Swizzle is standing.

Presley knew from the friendly reception this game was giving off, that she was going to like it here.

* * *

(Next Chapter- Presley's introduction to all the racers and her first roster race!)


	3. Meeting The Racers & A Sudden Crush

Vanellope approaches Presley, smiling. "You must be the new racer we heard about. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Peppermint. I'm Vanellope Von Schweetz, president of Sugar Rush."

"Nice to meet you, President." Presley says, shaking Vanellope's hand.

"Now, I know Gloyd's already met you and you've met him, but there are more racers here." Vanellope says, smiling. "I see Skittela's already met you." she says, watching Skittela get the sticky lollipop off of her face.

Presley giggles and looks back at Vanellope. Vanellope starts speaking again. "Now, we start with the newer racers. The newer racers are Dylan Lancer, Herschel Nougatson, Clair Cremecape, Barry Bubblestein, Bubblina Gumdrop, Honey Potts, Skittela Starburst, and Licorice Liqued. Barry and Bubblina are Sugar Rush's first sibling duo, but they race in two separate karts."

"Cool!" Presley says, smiling. She stares at Clair with goo-goo eyes, but decides to talk to him later.

"Then there's the other racers that have been here longer than you have." Vanellope points them out to Presley. "There's Taffyta Muttonfudge, Adorabeezle Winterpop, Crumbelina Di Caramello, Minty Zaki, Snowanna Rainbeau, Rancis Fluggerbutter, Jubileena Bing-Bing, Swizzle Malarkey, and Candlehead. And the recolors, Citrusella Flugpucker, Sticky Wipplesnit, Torvald Batterbutter, and Nougetsia Brumblestain."

"It's nice to meet you all!" Presley says, smiling.

"Now that I've introduced you to the racers, we have to get ready for the Random Roster Race. Every day we race to fill the roster. The first nine racers across the finish line are the next day's avatars." Vanellope explains. "You need a gold coin from your previous winnings to enter this race, but I'll give you one to use in this race for free. After this, you have to use a gold coin from your previous winnings."

"All right." Presley says, taking the gold coin and goes to line up with the other racers for the pay-to-play ceremony.

* * *

As the other racers throw in their coins, Presley smiles, thinking about how her first race might go.

Clair turns to look at her. "Bonjour, Presley." He says, smiling.

"Hello, Clair." Presley says, smiling.

"Don't be nervous about your first race, Presley. You'll do great!" Clair says as he moves up in line.

"You really think so?" Presley asks him.

"I know so." Clair says. He throws in his coin.

"CLAIR CREMECAPE!" the announcer yells. Clair jumps into the air, drawing his sword and saying, "Viva la Cremecape! Victory, thy name is Cremecape!" as his French pastry fans cheer wildly for him.

Finally, it's Presley's turn. She throws in her coin and it goes into the golden cup.

"PRESLEY PEPPERMINT!" The announcer yells. Presley stands there, thinking of what to do or say.

She finally thinks of something. "FOR CLAIR!" She says, jumping in the air and twirling as her red, white, and green swirl pop fans cheer for her.

"Oooooooh, Clair..." Swizzle says in a joking manner. "She kinda likes youuuuu..." he says, nudging Clair playfully.

Clair's blushing as red as Jubileena's hair, hiding his face in his cape-like jacket, muttering something in French.

"All right, racers, we have an hour until the roster race, so you guys can just hang out here if you want." Vanellope says as she goes to talk to Rancis.

Gloyd laughs. "Presley likes you, Clair!" he pulls Clair's cape from his head, seeing the blush on Clair's face.

"Sacre bleu..." Clair says, walking over to his kart, the Chouxvalier. "A girl likes...me!"

Swizzle giggles. "I don't know how you did it...but you got you a girl, dude." He unwraps a Unicorn Pop and eats it, smiling.

"I...I...I..." Clair stutters out, but he says nothing more and puts on his racing helmet.

* * *

Later, the Roster Race starts.

Taffyta is ahead in first place, with Herschel in second. Taffyta lays a Sticky Slick on the track, causing Herschel to lose control of his steering.

The other racers race off to the first obstacle on the course, Gumball Gorge, where giant gumballs roll around the course, and if you're not careful, the gumballs will hit you and take you out of the race.

Presley races her hardest around the rolling gumballs, but Barry isn't so lucky, him getting hit by a giant gumball. "Ah, darn it!" Barry yells as his kart flips several times, hitting the track hard.

Jubileena laughs and drives past Barry, getting a power-up.

"SPECIAL CHARACTER ITEM! Chocolate Cherry Land Mines!" the announcer says.

A chocolate covered cherry comes out of Jubileena's kart, sitting in the middle of the track. Minty is not far from it, but she doesn't see it. The chocolate covered cherry explodes, sending Minty flying into a gumball machine with the glass shattering as she screams.

"It's Zingy!" Jubileena yells as her cherry coated chocolate kiss fans cheer wildly.

* * *

On Birthday Cake Mountain, the racers drive around a tall chocolate cake until they get to a tunnel and if they time it right, they make it to Rainbow Frost Rail/Frosty Rally.

Presley takes seventh place from Crumbelina and passes Licorice for sixth.

"What do you say to me taking you off the mountain?" Licorice says, grinning evilly. "Light 'em up, Candlehead!"

Candlehead lights up the cherry bombs, and one by one, the bombs start exploding, Presley frantically driving to avoid the blasts.

"You'll never be one of us..." Licorice says, laughing as she drives into the tunnel.

"I will!" Presley says, driving into the tunnel, ramming the side of Licorice's kart. One of Licorice's wheels comes loose, causing her to swerve and miss the jump. As Presley makes the jump to the next part of the race course, Licorice lands in a green gelatin marsh, screaming "I'm gonna tell my sister on you!"

Presley laughs and keeps driving.

* * *

Soon, the race ends, and the roster is decided.

The nine avatars for the next day are Taffyta Muttonfudge, Candlehead, Swizzle Malarkey, Clair Cremecape, Presley Peppermint, Dylan Lancer, Minty Zaki, Gloyd Orangeboar, and Adorabeezle Winterpop.

The rest of the racers clap politely as the nine avatars for the next day wave happily to their fans.

"All right, that's the roster race, people! See you guys tomorrow before the arcade opens!" Vanellope says, jumping into her kart and driving away.

Swizzle walks up to Clair. "Good race, bro." Swizzle says, putting his bronze trophy in his kart.

Clair looks at Swizzle. "Merci." he says, climbing into his kart.

"Wait, Clair, do you want to hang out at Tapper's with me?" Swizzle asks him. "It isn't like you to just go home after the roster race. You could use a drink, anyway."

"Sure, Swizzle, that will be just fine." Clair says, walking with Swizzle to the game's entrance.

* * *

Presley walks home, thinking about Clair, and everything that happened at the track.

"I like him...but does he like me back?" she says to herself. "I mean, he's really cute and sweet and everything..." she thinks about telling Clair all that at his 12th birthday party in a few weeks, but she doesn't know if she can wait that long as her thoughts are racing.

"I know he must feel the same about me..." She thinks as she walks up to her front door.

* * *

(Next Chapter: Guys' Night At Tapper's and Presley's love for Clair grows even deeper)


	4. All This Talk About Love

Swizzle and Clair arrive at Tapper's, the atmosphere certainly setting the tone for a guys' night. Different arcade characters are sitting around drinking root beer and talking about their day, and Alan Jackson music is playing on the jukebox.

The two boys grab a booth and order a round of root beer along with two burgers topped with everything, with a side order of fries.

"All right, Clair, it seems Presley is in love with you, and there's no doubt that you probably feel the same way. So, what I'm going to do right now is ask you this. Do you feel the same way Presley feels?" Swizzle asks him as their root beer comes out.

"I don't know, Swizzle." Clair says, taking a sip of his root beer. "I mean, she looks nice...and she smells like the sweetest peppermints..."

"So, you do love her." Swizzle says, sipping his root beer slowly.

"Okay, okay, yes, I love her, Swizz." Clair says, downing his first glass of root beer, and asks for a second glass.

"All right, so now that you said that you love her, the next step is to show how much you love her." Swizzle says as their burgers come out.

"But how do I do that?" Clair asks as he takes a bite of his burger while looking at Swizzle.

"Start with declaring your feelings for her." Swizzle tells Clair. "You know, talk to her at a place where there's a lot of activity going on or take her somewhere private."

"So, where would be the best place to do that?" Clair asks, eating a few of his fries.

"Well, there's this place that me and Minty went to when I declared my true feelings for her." Swizzle tells him.

"What place is that?" Clair asks Swizzle, sipping his root beer.

"The Candy Gardens Restaurant. If you want, I could make a reservation for you. The manager knows me really well, because I used to be a waiter there for a part-time job." Swizzle says as he finishes his burger.

"That sounds magnifique!" Clair says, smiling as he finishes his burger and fries. "I'd love that!"

"Great! I'll call the restaurant tomorrow after the roster race." Swizzle says, smiling. "And isn't tomorrow the day before your..."

"Oui, indeed it is." Clair says, smiling a little bigger. "The day before my anniversaire, my birthday. I will be 12 years old. And my party's going to be fantastic...with pie jousts and me coming into my party on horseback just like a real knight, and everything!"

"Wow..." Swizzle says, wide-eyed. "I can't wait!"

The two boys keep talking about Clair's birthday.

* * *

In Sugar Rush, Presley is sitting in her peppermint house, thinking about Clair.

All of a sudden, there's a knock at her door.

"Come in!" Presley says, smiling.

"Hello, Presley, how are you?" Jubileena asks her, coming in.

"I'm good, Jubileena. What brings you here?" Presley asks her.

"I'm here to bring you this pie to welcome you to Sugar Rush, and you look like you could use some love advice." Jubileena says, smiling.

"Wow! Thanks for the pie, Jubileena! And I sure could use some love advice." Presley says as she sets the pie on her kitchen counter.

"That's what I like to hear." Jubileena says, smiling. She cuts two slices out of the cherry pie on the counter and pours two glasses of milk, then she brings the plates and cups to the table. "Now, I heard you like Clair Cremecape. True or not?"

"I actually LOVE him, Jubileena. But, the thing is, it was love at first sight. He blushed when I said his name, and he covered his face. Does that mean he doesn't like me?" Presley asks Jubileena as she takes a bite of her pie.

"Presley, blushing and face-covering are just signs that he is in love with you. When Gloyd fell in love with me at one time, he did those same things. And the guys constantly tease when a guy likes a girl. Like I know Dylan likes Taffyta, and the guys tease him about it." Jubileena says, taking a sip of her milk.

"Really?" Presley asks her.

"Really. I go by Dylan's house every day, and there's some guys who tease him about liking Taffyta. It's normal to see that kind of thing here." Jubileena says. "But, anyway, the key to telling a guy you love him, is to let him know how you actually feel."

"Does that work?" Presley asks Jubileena, finishing her pie.

"Of course it does, I've had countless guys declaring their love for me by telling me how they feel." Jubileena says, smiling.

"Thanks for the advice, Jubi. I feel a little better now." Presley says, taking the empty plates and glasses to the kitchen sink.

"Anything for a friend." Jubileena says, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure!" Presley says. "See you tomorrow!"

"All right, Presley. See you later!" Jubileena says, driving off in the _Cherriot_.

* * *

Clair and Swizzle are in GCS, walking back to Sugar Rush.

"So, do you really know a lot about love?" Clair asks Swizzle.

"I sure do. What else do you want to know?" Swizzle replies as he puts on his bright blue jacket.

"Is love a deep feeling?" Clair asks him.

"Well, the answer to that, my friend, is a pretty long explanation, but I'll try to shorten it." Swizzle says, patting Clair's shoulder.

As Swizzle talks to him, Clair feels like he's gained a best friend.


	5. Racing and Dating

The next day, Clair is still asleep, so he doesn't see Swizzle, Gloyd, Rancis, Dylan, and Herschel by his bed.

"Ready, guys?" Gloyd asks the other boys. The other guys nod and blow noisemakers, making Clair jolt awake.

"HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY, CLAIR!" the five guys yell. Clair jumps back, a bit startled, yet surprised.

"Sacre bleu..." Clair says, looking around. "My birthday's not until tomorrow..."

"We know." Swizzle says. "Gloyd wanted to practice surprising you. You sure look surprised." Swizzle laughs a little bit.

"We can't wait until your party tomorrow, Clair. Sounds like it's going to be a great time! Pie jousting, I'd love to try that!" Dylan says, smiling, then laughing.

"And the entrance on horseback, wow! I can't wait to see that!" Rancis says, smiling.

All of a sudden, an announcement is made throughout the game.

"Attention, all racers! The arcade will open in five minutes, so get to your positions on the track!" the announcer says through the loudspeakers.

"That's directed at us!" Clair, Swizzle, Dylan, and Gloyd say all at once, Clair dressing quickly and grabbing his helmet. The four boys race to their karts and drive off to the track.

* * *

At the track, Presley is sitting in her kart, waiting for the arcade to open, still thinking of Clair.

"Hey, Presley, ready for your first day as an avatar?" Adorabeezle asks Presley, putting on her helmet.

"Oh, hey, Beezy. Yeah, I can't wait to race some more!" Presley says, smiling at Adorabeezle.

"Just act natural if you get picked, okay? I know it's exciting to be picked by a gamer and all, but it's always good to keep a calm demeanor." Adorabeezle says, smiling.

"THE ARCADE IS NOW OPEN! GET IN YOUR POSITIONS ON THE SELECTION SCREEN!" the announcer yells. All the racers get in their spots, waiting for the first gamer of the day to show up.

A girl with long black hair, about 15, and a boy, about 10, come over to Sugar Rush and insert their quarters. The avatar selection screen comes up as the game's theme song starts playing. The day's avatars stand in their unique positions, waiting to be chosen.

The 15-year old girl, named Michelle, selects Presley. "She looks like she'll be a good choice." the girl says, smiling. Her ten-year old brother, Adam, chooses his favorite racer, Adorabeezle. "She's my favorite, sis, you know that."

"Yeah, I know, little bro. Maybe today we'll earn enough tickets for that Adorabeezle plush toy that you want." Michelle says, smiling.

"Yay!" Adam says as he gets ready to race his sister.

* * *

In the game, Presley smiles at the sound of her being selected.

"Good luck, Presley." Adorabeezle says, smiling.

Presley smiles and nods as she lowers her helmet visor. A marshmallow floats down and starts the countdown. As soon as the light turned green, Presley takes off ahead of Taffyta and the others, taking first place right away.

"Wow...I love racing when a gamer selects me as well..." Presley says, smiling as she runs into a power-up box.

"Syrup Puddle!" the announcer yells. A red syrup-like substance spills from the _Mint-Mobile_, spreading behind her. Taffyta drives into it, slowing down, as Presley's red, white, and green swirl pop fans cheer.

The race continues, the person controlling Presley driving pretty well, as the boy controlling Adorabeezle is doing pretty good as well.

* * *

Soon, they're on the home stretch, and Adorabeezle and Presley are neck-and-neck on the way to the finish line.

"Whoever wins, no matter what, we'll take it in stride." Adorabeezle whispers to Presley.

Presley nods, accelerating forward. Adorabeezle speeds up a bit. Before you know it, Presley crosses the finish line first, with Adorabeezle crossing in second.

"Yes!" Michelle says, smiling. Presley comes up on the screen and collects her trophy for winning first place, doing her winning pose.

"Hey, little bro, how about some ice cream? My treat." Michelle says, seeing her little brother is a bit discouraged.

"All right!" Adam says, skipping off with his sister to the snack bar, away from the Sugar Rush console.

* * *

"Good job, Presley!" Adorabeezle says, putting her silver second-place trophy in her kart.

"Thanks, Beezy." Presley says, smiling.

"Be prepared for kids to come all day long, though. You'll be selected by someone else. It's the daily ritual for the daily avatars. I'm used to it." Adorabeezle says, getting back in the _Ice Rocket_.

"Okay." Presley says, getting back in her kart.

Throughout the day, Presley was selected four times, and she won two more gold trophies, one silver trophy, and one bronze trophy. Now it was time for the daily roster race, so all the racers gather around Vanellope's podium.

All the day's avatars get in position and listen to Vanellope's speech as the racers take out their coins.

"Clair, I got the reservations!" Swizzle whispers to Clair.

"Magnifique!" Clair whispers, smiling. "For tonight?"

Swizzle nods. "Yep. You and Presley are going to dinner after the roster race."

"Awesome, Swizz..." Clair says, smiling at his best friend.

The racers throw in their gold coins. But, as Clair throws his in, he's beaming with pride, knowing Presley will know how he feels after tonight.

* * *

Later, the roster race starts, and Clair and Presley are racing normally, but they can't stop thinking about each other.

"She's so sweet..." Clair thinks to himself.

"He's so chivalrous..." Presley thinks, smiling.

The race is just starting, yet the two of them are too excited to even race. They're finally going on their first date, and they couldn't be happier.

* * *

Soon, the roster race ends, and the next day's roster is determined: Barry Bubblestein, Bubblina Gumdrop, Honey Potts, Snowanna Rainbeau, Rancis Fluggerbutter, Skittela Starburst, Nougetsia Brumblestain, Herschel Nougatson, and Jubileena Bing-Bing were going to be tomorrow's avatars, and the top nine racers smile and high-five each other as the other racers clap politely, knowing they'll get another chance soon.

The racers clear the track, going off to do their own thing. Dylan goes off to hang out with Taffyta, Gloyd goes off to find Skittela and take her to his house for dinner, and Rancis and Swizzle go to the Chiller Bee Shake Shop to hang out with Adorabeezle and Barry.

* * *

Presley goes off to the Candy Gardens restaurant, dressed in a peppermint-themed formal dress, thinking Clair called her here for something, and she's almost sure he did.

"Right this way, miss." A lollipop waiter says, walking Presley to a really nice table. The table has two wine glasses, two fine china plates, a beautiful flower centerpiece, and a bottle of fine gumdrop wine.

"Ah, mon cherie..." Clair says, smiling when he sees Presley, blushing a little bit, almost afraid to compliment her on her dress. Clair is wearing a nice suit without his fingerless gloves, his cape is on behind him, and his creampuff hat is sitting on his head, his hair groomed neatly.

"H-Hello, Clair...gosh, you look really nice t-tonight..." Presley says nervously, sitting in the chair across from Clair while blushing.

"Merci. You look nice, too..." Clair says, staring at Presley's dress.

"Thanks, Clair. So why did you want me to come to dinner with you?" Presley says, smiling.

Just as Clair is about to answer, the waiter comes to take their drink order.

"I'll have a cream soda, and for the lady, a cherry vanilla Coke." Clair says, smiling. The waiter writes down their drink orders and goes off to the kitchen.

"Anyway, I brought you here because I want to confess something to you." Clair says, looking at Presley while blushing a bit. "You are my everything, Presley. You are like sweet nectar from a flower, you are prettier than summer sunsets, your eyes sparkle like fine diamonds, your voice sounds like the angels singing, and your sense of style...simply magnifique, my dear. I love you, Presley Peppermint, and nothing will ever change that." Clair says, holding her hands.

"Oh, Clair, I love you, too..." Presley says, smiling. "I think you are nice, sweet, chivalrous, and I think you'd make a great knight. I also like your sense of justice, I like the way you make creampuffs, and your sense of style is fabulous!" Presley says, looking into Clair's eyes.

"Awwwwww, Presley..." Clair says, smiling. "My sweet flower..."

The two of them don't take their eyes off of each other for the entire date, until their dinner comes out with their drinks.

* * *

As they eat, Presley shows interest in Clair's knightly lifestyle.

"So, you practice swordplay?" Presley asks Clair.

"Oui, indeed I do. It's such a delight, practicing swordplay." Clair says, smiling. "Other than swordplay, I also like skating and racing and I read sometimes, too."

"Wow..." Presley says, staring at Clair as she eats her mint leaf salad. "I play pranks, race, listen to music, I like to party, I like to drink Dr. Pepper and I like to swim."

"What an array of hobbies you have, mon cherie..." Clair says, smiling.

"I know!" Presley says as the waiter clears their plates. She whispers in the waiter's ear, and he nods, quickly hurrying off to the kitchen.

"Presley, what are you up to?" Clair asks her, smiling as she covers his eyes.

"I arranged something for your birthday, silly!" Presley says, giggling.

"Oh..." Clair says, giggling back. "I wonder what this something could be..."

The waiters come out with a tray full of French pastries, with creampuffs on the very top. Two candles shaped like a #1 and a #2 burn on top of one of the creampuffs, and the tray is set in front of Clair as Presley uncovers his eyes.

"Oh, my..." Clair says, smiling. "Presley, you're so sweet to do this for me."

"Anything for my sweet sugar knight..." Presley says, smiling. The waiters begin to sing "Happy Birthday" to Clair in English and French as Clair smiles modestly.

"Merci, merci..." Clair says, smiling and blowing out the candles as everyone in the restaurant claps for him. He didn't need a wish as it already came true. Presley loves him. He takes the candles out of the creampuffs and starts eating one. "Mmmmm...peppermint creampuffs..." he says, licking his lips and eating another one.

Presley takes a creampuff, too, smiling at Clair.

* * *

After the date, the two of them stand on Presley's front steps.

"I had a great time tonight, Presley." Clair says, smiling.

"I had fun, too, Clair." Presley says, smiling back.

"We should go to dinner again sometime." Clair says, looking at Presley.

"That sounds like fun." Presley says, looking at Clair.

"Can I...kiss you?" Clair asks Presley, blushing.

"S-Sure..." Presley says, smiling.

Clair leans close to Presley's face, and the two of them start to kiss each other. Clair had the taste of French pastries, and Presley had the taste of peppermints. The two flavors collide with each other as they continue kissing.

Soon, they break the kiss, blushing and smiling.

"Happy birthday tomorrow, sugar..." Presley tells Clair.

"Thank you, sweet flower." Clair says, walking off to his kart. "See you tomorrow."

Presley waves at Clair as he drives away.

"He loves me..." Presley says as she goes into her house.


	6. Happy Birthday, Clair Cremecape!

Early the next morning, Clair was sleeping in his bed, dreaming of Presley, his caramel and white striped comforter wrapped around him.

He doesn't hear Herschel, Rancis, Swizzle, Gloyd, Barry, and Dylan walk into his room.

"Ready, guys?" Swizzle asks, smiling.

The other boys nod while smiling, then the six of them blow noisemakers and throw confetti all over Clair.

"Happy 12th Birthday, Clair!" all the guys shout at him, holding out a birthday creampuff tower with a single candle lit on top of it.

"Wow...thanks so much! What a wonderful surprise!" Clair looks around at all six guys, surprised by all they did to make his birthday morning special.

"It's the least we could do for you, since you are one of the kindest guys in the game and all." Rancis says, smiling.

"Make a wish and blow out the candle, Cremecape." Gloyd says, pointing to the white candle burning on top of the creampuff tower.

Clair shuts his eyes and blows out the candle as the guys clap for him. Clair then grabs a creampuff and eats it, and the other guys do the same.

"So, do you feel any older, Clair?" Dylan asks him, drizzling Dr. Pepper-flavored syrup across the top of his creampuff.

"I feel a bit older, but not a lot older. To me, 12 just doesn't seem like a big deal. I know some people who think 12 years old is a big deal, but to me, it doesn't seem that way." Clair says, eating his creampuff.

"Mate, I know how you feel. When I turned 12, me parents threw me this massive party at Daytona. My party took place after the race and they arranged for Jeff Gordon to be a special guest and I got to meet me favorite NASCAR racer. I also got a model of his current car and an autographed picture of him. I still have that picture. They even had Def Leppard perform at my party, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Sure, it was the greatest birthday ever for me, but I didn't think 12 years old was such a big deal." Herschel says as he finishes his creampuff. "Oh, look at the time! I better go because I'm on today's roster! See you later, guys!" he says as he grabs his kart keys and helmet, waving to Clair and the other guys as he heads out Clair's front door.

"Oh, I better go, too! See you guys at the party!" Barry says, leaving with Herschel.

"Wow, Herschel had one heck of a party when he turned 12..." Gloyd says, running his fingers through his thick chestnut brown hair.

"Tell me about it." Swizzle says. "My parents hired a magician for my 9th birthday, and I had a blast doing laser tag for my 11th. Soon, I will be 12."

The guys talk about some of their past birthdays as Clair dresses in his normal attire and brushes his teeth.

* * *

At Presley's house, she's getting ready for the day. She knows today is Clair's birthday and she is looking forward to his birthday party later on that day. Since today was Saturday and the arcade was closed on Sunday, there would be no roster race tonight. So, the party would start after the last race of the day.

She sits at the table, holding Clair's present in her hands. She had gotten Clair a golden cape with the words "Clair Cremecape- Sugar Knight" monogrammed on it in black lettering with silver outlining the black letters, and a silver necklace with a creampuff charm on it. As she wraps it, she truly hopes that he will like her present. She worked hard on the cape and the necklace took forever to buy at the Candy Jewelry Shoppe.

"He's worth it..." she thinks to herself as she ties a big white bow on Clair's birthday present.

* * *

Meanwhile, preparations were being made for Clair's birthday party at the Candy Castle. Caramel brown and white streamers hang around the ballroom where the party will take place, several tables hold French pastries, small cupcakes, party sandwiches, and other goodies, pictures of Clair are all around the room, a DJ setup is on the ballroom stage, Clair's cake is made and put in the castle's kitchen fridge until the party, pies have been made for the pie jousting, and of course, a caramel and white horse with a well decorated saddle is sitting in the castle stables, ready for Clair's grand entrance.

There's also a #11 shaped pinata hanging in one corner of the room. The point of the pinata was to bash the old age into submission and have a sweet welcome to the new age. There's also a table for presents and an ice cream sundae bar as well, with all the racers' favorite ice cream.

This party would be spectacular, and everyone knew it.

* * *

Later that day, everyone comes to the castle for the party, and the racers help themselves to the refreshments. The DJ is playing "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" by Usher, and some of the racers start dancing as the party gets started.

"This is going to be the greatest party yet!" Minty says, eating a chocolate cupcake.

"I know!" Sticky says, smiling as she gets excited.

"When do you think Clair's gonna make his entrance?" Gloyd asks Rancis.

"I don't know, but it's gonna be awesome!" Rancis says as he eats a peanut butter cup.

Just then, the Usher song ends and "Let's Get It Started" by The Black Eyed Peas plays. The DJ starts speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the star of the evening, Clair Cremecape!" The DJ announces as Clair enters the party room on horseback. Everyone cheers, but nobody cheers as loud as Presley, who thinks her boyfriend looks good on horseback. The others think he looks like a brave knight ready to save the damsel in distress.

"Bonjour!" Clair says, waving to the other racers.

"Bonjour!" the others yell out as Clair gets off the horse to join the party.

* * *

The party is now in full swing, and the pie jousts start with Swizzle and Barry, using banana cream pies. Clair laughs with delight as the two guys get pie all over their faces.

Everyone is excited as the jousts continue. But, some of the others want to get to the best part of the party, the pinata.

All the racers assemble by the pinata, eager to get the treats inside. Clair goes first, trying to smash it open with the bat while he has his jacket hood covering his eyes.

"GO, CLAIR!" Swizzle yells, trying to encourage his best friend. Clair swings the bat and finds what he thinks is the pinata and hits the object in front of him. But it's not an object he hits, it's Taffyta.

"Ow, Clair! Hit the pinata, not me!" Taffyta says, rubbing her head.

"My apologies, Taffyta." Clair says as Swizzle leads him back to where the pinata is. Clair hits the pinata, but he doesn't open it all the way.

"My turn. No need for a blindfold!" Gloyd says, taking the bat from Clair. He breaks the pinata open with one swing of the bat, and all the racers grab the candy as it hits the floor. Gloyd stores his candy in his pumpkin hat, that way nobody would get any of his candy.

* * *

Later, it's time for cake, and all the racers are gathered around the cake table as Clair's candles are lit.

"Wow...what a fabulous-looking cake!" Clair says as he admires the creampuffs and chocolate curls and the picture of him dressed like a knight. He stares at the 12 golden candles glowing on top of the cake as he grins broadly.

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Clair...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" All the racers sing happily. Then they sing it in French, much to Clair's delight.

As soon as they stop singing, Clair smiles and looks at everyone. "Thank you all so much! This is the best birthday ever!" he says as he shuts his eyes to make a wish.

_"I wish to be with Presley forever, and for all my friends to be happy..." _Clair thinks as he blows out all 12 candles on the cake. All the racers cheer and clap for him.

Everyone gets a piece of cake and they sit at a long table decorated with a golden tablecloth.

"So, is my sweet creampuff having a good birthday?" Presley asks Clair, taking a bite of her cake.

"The best one yet, baby." Clair says, eating his cake.

* * *

Soon, it's time for presents, and Clair got some really nice ones from the racers: a marshmallow white gummy bear from Vanellope, a new racing helmet from Taffyta, a prank kit from Gloyd, a winter hat and boots from Adorabeezle, a solid caramel welcome bar for Clair's front door from Crumbelina, kart tools from Minty, a patchwork quilt and some CD's from Snowanna, a golden mirror from Rancis, cherry air fresheners for his kart from Jubileena, a book titled "Love and Racing: Relationships On and Off The Track" and blueberry bubble bath from Swizzle, scented candles from Candlehead, salt water taffy from Sticky, a knight-themed snowglobe from Nougetsia, a guitar from Torvald, a peppermint creampuff-scented plush of Presley from Citrusella, a NASCAR encyclopedia from Herschel, gumball earbuds from Barry, bubblegum cologne from Bubblina, a new sword from Skittela, honey comb cape hooks from Honey, a Truffle Garden gift certificate and a Swiss army knife from Dylan, and of course, the best gift of all, a new cape and a silver creampuff necklace from Presley.

"Thanks so much for the gifts, everyone! I love them all!" Clair says, smiling.

"You're welcome, Clair!" everyone says as the DJ plays the final song of the night, "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz. The racers hit the dance floor and dance in honor of Clair.

As the racers dance, Clair declared this birthday to be one to remember as Presley sits by his side. Deep down, he got the best present of all when Presley fell for him. And know he has Presley by his side forever.


	7. Swizzle's Tonsils, Part 1

A week after Clair's birthday, all the racers were finishing up the last race of the day. Since tomorrow was Sunday, the racers couldn't wait to relax and take a break from racing.

Swizzle shoots Sweet Seekers from his kart, hitting the back of Gloyd's _Kernel_, and causing Gloyd to miss the finish line by a few feet. Swizzle speeds ahead and wins the race.

As Swizzle collects his gold trophy for winning the race, his Jolly Rancher fans cheer wildly as he does his winning pose, then he walks back to the _Tongue Twister_, falling into the kart headfirst.

"Swizz, you all right?" Presley asks, helping the Unicorn Pop racer to his feet and into his kart.

"I..." Swizzle tries to say, then he holds his throat, coughing.

"You're what? Say something!" Presley says, looking at Swizzle.

But all Swizzle does is cough, causing him to speak in a hoarse tone.

"Open your mouth, Swizz." Presley says, holding a flashlight in her hands.

Swizzle opens his mouth, and Presley shines the flashlight in it. Presley sees Swizzle's tonsils are red and raw, and she shakes her head. "Looks like we need to take you to the hospital, mister Malarkey." She puts Swizzle into her kart and drives him to the hospital.

The racers drive off behind Presley, concerned about what could have happened to their friend.

* * *

At Sugar Rush General Hospital, Presley walks Swizzle into the building, and the other racers follow her in.

"Excuse me...but it seems my friend is really sick..." Presley says to the peppermint receptionist, worried and about to cry.

"Relax, miss, and tell me what's going on, okay?" the receptionist says as she comes from behind the desk to see what's going on.

Swizzle coughs, and the receptionist realizes what's going on before Presley can say anything. "Young lady, I'm going to get Dr. Goodbar and you're going to have to stay out here so the doctor can look at your friend, okay?" she says to Presley.

"Yes, ma'am." Presley says, crying a bit while worried about Swizzle.

About 5 minutes later, Dr. Goodbar comes out with a gurney and Presley helps the doctor put Swizzle on it. The doctor pushes Swizzle into an examination room and they start examining him.

* * *

In the waiting room, the racers exchange worried glances as Swizzle is being examined.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Gloyd asks Dylan.

"Dude, I don't know. But the way Swizzle looks right now, it sounds pretty serious." Dylan says, reading a racing magazine.

"He's going to make it through this..." Gloyd says. "no matter what happens."

"Maybe he's really sick..." Dylan says, a little worried himself.

Presley is crying, wondering if Swizzle is really going to be okay.

"Mon cherie, you did the right thing by bringing Swizzle here." Clair says, putting an arm around Presley.

"I know I did the right thing...but what if it's something life-threatening?" Presley says, wringing her hands with worry.

"My sweet flower, he's going to be all right...I have a feeling he's going to make it..." Clair says, hugging Presley.

Presley cries against Clair, Clair hugging her tightly.

* * *

Later, Dr. Goodbar comes out and walks toward the worried racers, a concerned look on his face.

"What happened to him, doc?" Adorabeezle asks him.

"Is he going to be okay?" Presley asks, tears in her eyes.

"We looked at his tonsils, and they are indeed raw, which means, he's going to have to have them removed." Dr. Goodbar says.

All the racers are worried, wanting to know more.

"What does that mean?" Candlehead asks curiously.

"It means that Swizzle's going to have a tonsillectomy." Taffyta tells the birthday-themed racer while licking her lollipop.

"Oh." Candlehead says.

"Exactly, Miss Muttonfudge." Dr. Goodbar says. "Now, he's going to be here overnight, as we're going to have to run more tests on him before we perform the surgery tomorrow. But you guys won't able to see him until after the surgery tomorrow, so you can't see him now."

"It's time to go home, fellow racers." Vanellope says as she walks out first, then all the racers nod and leave behind her.

Some of them can't help but worry about Swizzle as they leave the hospital.


	8. Swizzle's Tonsils, Part 2

In the hospital, Swizzle wakes up in a room painted sky blue, with a TV and other things he didn't normally see in a hospital. He sits up and looks around.

"How did I get here?" he thinks to himself. "Oh, I remember Presley, and her bringing me here." he thinks while smiling. He then lays down to rest, thinking about how he's going to thank Presley once he's better.

* * *

Meanwhile, Presley and the others are getting a "Get Well" basket together for Swizzle at Vanellope's castle. They plan to take it to him after his surgery tomorrow. With the arcade closed tomorrow, they would have more time to visit their friend before having the roster race to determine Monday's race roster.

"So, what did everyone bring for Swizzle's basket?" Vanellope asks the racers gathered around the castle's dining room table.

"I brought some throat-soothing lollipops, blueberry and mixed fruit flavored. They've helped me, so I think Swizzle will like them." Taffyta says, eating her strawberry lollipop.

"I brought pranking books and a handheld video game called "Chiller Killer", a game about shooting evil ice cream. This stuff will ease his boredom." Gloyd says, putting it in the basket.

"We took a picture of a cake we're making for him when he gets out of the hospital, and framed it. You know, so he'll have something to look forward to." Crumbelina and Candlehead say as they show the racers the picture of the rainbow cake with white frosting, blue icing, and rainbow star sprinkles.

"Well, I made him THIS!" Adorabeezle says, showing everyone a Rocket Pop guaranteed to never melt as she places it in a small freezer bag. All the racers are impressed.

"I got him this, you know, since he's my boyfriend and all." Minty says, showing the racers a scrapbook she made of her and Swizzle.

"Well, I made him this!" Snowanna says, showing everyone a patchwork quilt she made from patches representing all the racers' candy themes and a CD of Swizzle's favorite songs.

"Since he's one of my best friends, I got him this." Rancis says, holding up a plush toy of Swizzle along with a bouquet of swirl pops in an array of colors, tied together with a blue ribbon.

"I knitted him a rainbow blanket, because rainbow colors remind him of the _Tongue Twister_." Jubileena says, smiling.

"I got him some soda-flavored jelly beans." Dylan says as he adds the candy to the basket.

"We got him some comic books based on his favorite TV show, and some gumballs that are blueberry flavored." Barry and Bubblina say while smiling.

"Well, I got him some of my favorite anime on DVD, along with a portable DVD player. He could use something like this in the hospital." Skittela says, grinning.

"Well, me, I got him a model kart building kit." Herschel says. "This is a model of his kart, by the way."

"Um, I got him some honey from my farm." Honey says, smiling shyly as her bees buzz beside her.

The other racers contribute things like ice cream coupons, get well wishes written in a book with Swizzle's racing pictures in it, mixed berry cough drops from Clair, a snowglobe with Swizzle next to his kart inside it from Nougetsia, cherry licorice bites from Licorice and her sister, peppermints from Presley, and a big get well card signed by all the racers.

"I'll get my contribution along with some balloons in the hospital's gift shop tomorrow." Vanellope says as she arranges the gifts in the blue basket. "Now, everyone can go to sleep in the throne room if they want to."

That's where most of the racers headed, determined to rest up for the next day's events.

* * *

The next day, Swizzle went in for his tonsillectomy, and as he's being operated on, the racers arrive at the hospital with the basket and they sit in the waiting room, waiting for the operation to be over.

"So, what do you think it'll be like when his tonsils come out?" Bubblina asks.

"His throat will be really sore, and he won't be able to speak for a few weeks. But the best part about it is that he gets all the ice cream he wants!" Herschel says, smiling. "I know I got that when MY tonsils came out, and boy, I enjoyed it all. You also get a lot of attention while you're still sick, too."

"Wow…" Bubblina says, smiling.

"That's awesome…" Gloyd says, wide-eyed.

Vanellope comes back from the hospital's gift shop with a swirl pop pillow and a bunch of blue &amp; green balloons with a rainbow star-shaped Mylar balloon that she got to say "Get Well Soon, Swizz!"

"Cool balloon!" Adorabeezle says, impressed.

"Yeah! That's nice!" Nougetsia says, smiling.

The racers sit and wait for his operation to end.

* * *

Later, Swizzle's operation ends and he is back in his room, lying in his bed, miserable, tired, and his throat is very sore.

"Now, remember, he won't be able to speak again for a few weeks, so please remember that he's also still a bit sick." Dr. Goodbar says as he opens Swizzle's room door, letting the racers in. "You guys have a good visit." The doctor leaves, leaving the racers to visit with Swizzle.

"Hey, Swizz. How're ya feelin'?" Vanellope asks him.

Swizzle looks at her with tears in his grayish-purple eyes, showing her how much pain he was in.

"Oh, you poor thing. We brought you some stuff to help you feel better." She says, giving Swizzle the basket and balloons.

Swizzle smiles at the star-shaped balloon, thinking "I will be better soon, for you guys.", then he pulls out some of the stuff, seeing the gifts his friends got him. He starts to cry tears of joy as he reads the get well card from his friends and the book with the get well wishes inside it.

Snowanna covers Swizzle with the patchwork quilt she made, and Vanellope puts the swirl pop pillow behind his head.

"Oh, and your fans made you this. To remind you of them." Vanellope says, handing Swizzle a picture. His Jolly Rancher fans are posed on his kart, holding a banner that says "We Love You, Swizz! Hope You're Better Soon!"

Swizzle smiles at the picture of his fans, and Gloyd puts the picture on Swizzle's bedside table.

"And I hope you like rainbow cake, Swizz, because you're going to like the one we're making for when you come home!" Candlehead says, showing Swizzle the picture.

Swizzle drools slightly, rubbing his stomach, and he thinks, "I'm gonna have me a HUGE slice of that cake when I'm better!"

Presley and Clair walk up to Swizzle, smiling. "Bonjour, Swizzle. Sorry to see you're feeling a bit 'under the weather'…but you'll get through this." Clair says, smiling.

"And I really hope you'll feel better soon." Presley says, stroking Swizzle's hand.

Swizzle nods at the young couple, smiling.

Before you know it, visiting hours are over, and it's time for the racers to go have their roster race to determine the next day's roster.

"Bye, Swizzle! We'll visit again soon." Vanellope says as she leaves with the other racers.

"I'll be back after the roster race, baby." Minty says, smiling at her boyfriend.

Swizzle smiles at Minty and waves good-bye to everyone.

* * *

At the track, the racers have their roster race as they think about Swizzle.

"He'll feel better before you know it." Adorabeezle says to Minty as they race. "You have to have faith."

"I will. I just want Swizzy to feel better enough to race again." Minty says, smiling. "He's going to feel better, I know so."

Soon, the roster is determined. Licorice Liqued, Adorabeezle Winterpop, Rancis Fluggerbutter, Minty Zaki, Jubileena Bing-Bing, Skittela Starburst, Taffyta Muttonfudge, Dylan Lancer, and Honey Potts were going to be the next day's avatars. The other racers cheer for them, then go their separate ways.

Minty goes to the hospital to be with Swizzle, Dylan goes with Taffyta to Tapper's, Gloyd goes with Jubileena to her house to make some pies, and Clair and Presley decide to hang out at Clair's house.

As the racers all go their separate ways, they also know that Halloween is coming up, and Gloyd was going to be planning pranks for this day. Everyone knew Halloween was also Gloyd's birthday, and that he could possibly be planning pranks just to hunt for his birthday presents. Everyone is more than determined to stop Gloyd from finding his presents early, even if that meant working together.


	9. Gloyd's Present Hunt- Ending In Torture

(This chapter is dedicated to Bubblina Gumdrop! Happy Belated Birthday, Bubbles!)

* * *

October is here, and that can only mean one thing. Halloween and Gloyd's birthday. Sure, the racers of Sugar Rush love shopping for costumes and the special Halloween candy-themed track used for the holiday, but they always have to stay on their toes this time of the year.

Around this time of year, Gloyd plays pranks to figure out what his birthday presents are. Every year, the racers are left disappointed when Gloyd ruins the surprise aspect of his birthday presents. But this year, the racers are determined to make sure their presents remain a secret until his birthday.

Racers are setting traps and taking extra precautions to make sure Gloyd doesn't get to his gifts too early.

* * *

With the arcade closed for Litwak's one-week vacation to his hometown, the racers were enjoying a week off.

"Ahhhhh, no racing for an entire week, I love time off..." Barry says, leaning back in his lounge chair.

"You said it, bro. I think we deserve this..." Bubblina says, laying in her hammock while reading a racing magazine.

Suddenly, a noise breaks the silence of the siblings' time together.

"What was that?" Bubblina asks as she jumps from the hammock.

"I don't know, Bubbles. Let's go and see." Barry says, getting up from his lounge chair and following his sister.

They walk until they see Gloyd trying to climb through their front window.

"Orangeboar!" Barry yells.

Gloyd hits the ground upon hearing Barry's voice.

"What are you doing here?" Barry asks him, activating his wristband.

Gloyd looks at the gumball-themed racer as he gets up. "I was trying to prank you, Bubblestein."

"Do you know what my sister is capable of if you try to prank us?" Barry says, his foot already on Gloyd's stomach.

"N-No..." Gloyd says, shaking.

"Bubbles, get him!" Barry says to his sister, who's in her karate clothes.

"With pleasure, Bubba." Bubblina says, jumping Gloyd and beating him in several places, even using a few karate moves on him. After the beating, Gloyd is laying on the ground, moaning in pain.

"I think she kicked my spleen out of place..." Gloyd says, barely able to move after Bubblina beat him up.

"If you set foot on our property one more time before your birthday, Bubblina will beat you up again." Barry says, smiling at his sister.

Gloyd nods and limps off the property.

* * *

Gloyd, still limping from the beating Bubblina gave him, arrives at Skittela's house.

"No, I can't prank my girlfriend...I can't!" Gloyd says, crying and running off.

* * *

Gloyd arrives at Presley's house next, where Presley and Clair are making matching Halloween costumes. He looks in the window at the young couple.

"All right, prank time." Gloyd says, sneaking around to the back of Presley's house. He doesn't see the rope hanging from Presley's single-stripe candy cane tree, and being the prankster he is, he tries to avoid it, but to no avail as the rope goes around his feet.

"Hello, Orangeboar." Presley says, grinning. "You like being hung?"

"No, I don't! Now let me down!" Gloyd screams.

"No! I'm not going to let you peek at your presents!" Presley says, tying Gloyd up. "I'm gonna take you somewhere where you will get your just desserts."

"And where would that be?" Gloyd asks her.

"Witchy's house." Presley says. "Her and Licorice plan to torture you."

Gloyd screams as they drive off to Witchy and Licorice's house.

* * *

They soon arrive at Witchy and Licorice's house, which is a witch hat, edged with licorice ropes.

Presley grabs Gloyd and goes to their front door, knocking on it eagerly.

Witchy answers the door. "Hello, Presley, I see you brought Gloyd with you."

"Sure did, Witchy. Now what kind of torture are we talking about here?" Presley asks as she hands Gloyd over to Witchy.

"Would you care to stay and watch?" Witchy asks her.

"I sure would." Presley says, stepping inside.

The inside of Witchy's house looks like a haunted house, and in her basement, there are torture devices especially for Gloyd.

Gloyd swallows hard as he's tied to a wheel that Licorice starts spinning. Witchy begins to throw chocolate knives as the wheel spins. They miss Gloyd by a long shot.

The next part of the torture is Gloyd getting stretched out like taffy on a rack. Gloyd screams as Witchy starts turning a crank that increases the pain.

"Had enough, pumpkinhead?" Witchy asks him, smirking.

All Gloyd can do is scream in pain.

"Time for the mellowcreme pumpkin torture, Lic!" Witchy says to her sister, who comes into the room with a huge vat full of them. Witchy ties Gloyd above the huge vat of mellowcreme pumpkins.

"You witch!" Gloyd screams as he kicks his feet.

"That's me, Witchy Halloweena!" Witchy says, cackling evilly. "I'm gonna dip you in this vat of melted mellowcreme pumpkins, and when you come out, you will be covered in 'em, making you one huge mellowcreme mess!"

Gloyd's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates, and then he screams as Licorice turns the crank, lowering him into the vat of melted mellowcreme pumpkins.

* * *

About 45 minutes later, Licorice turns the crank once more, releasing the Halloween-themed racer, and he's covered head to toe in melted mellowcreme pumpkins, dripping with white, orange, and green candy coating as Witchy laughs hysterically.

"Now, are you gonna try to prank us?" Witchy asks him, using her wand to lift Gloyd into the air.

"No! I won't prank anyone!" Gloyd says, screaming and fearing for his life.

"Good. Now go. Or I dunk you under the melted mellowcreme pumpkins again!" Witchy says to the Halloween-themed racer as she puts him down.

Gloyd flees, swearing to not prank anyone and to be surprised when his birthday comes. He never knew the racers were so determined to keep him away from his presents, and now he promises to wait until his birthday to get his birthday gifts.


	10. Halloween Prep & Clair Plans Revenge

A week after Gloyd's birthday present hunt going wrong, the entire game is abuzz with Halloween preparations. Vanellope is planning a party at the castle, the racers decorate their houses and businesses, and there's a special track unlocked for this holiday, Mellowcreme Pumpkin Hills, much to Gloyd's delight.

On this particular day, the racers were just finishing up their daily roster race to determine the next day's roster.

"Eat my sugar dust!" Clair shouts as he speeds ahead of Gloyd, letting his Creampuff Bombs loose.

The chocolate filled creampuffs explode all over the track, sending Gloyd flying off course. Gloyd growls angrily, wiping the white cream from his face. "You'll get yours, Cremecape!" he yells as a marshmallow puts him back on the race course.

Gloyd then runs into a power-up box, smiling.

"Trick Or Treat!" the announcer says as Gloyd gets a pumpkin shuffling between power-ups or a swirl, the swirl meaning it's a trick, the power-ups meaning it's the treat. The pumpkin shuffles around until it reaches a power-up.

"SWEET SEEKERS!" The announcer yells as a cannon pops up on the _Kernel_.

"Creampuff!" Gloyd yells as he shoots the Red Hots candy at the _Chouxvalier_.

"I told you to never call me that!" Clair shouts out as he keeps driving. A Sweet Seeker hits his kart, causing him to scream. "Mon dieu..." Clair says, regaining control of his kart.

Gloyd laughs and crosses the finish line in first place.

* * *

After the race, the crowd is cheering for Gloyd Orangeboar, Honey Potts, Swizzle Malarkey, Herschel Nougatson, Minty Zaki, Adorabeezle Winterpop, Taffyta Muttonfudge, Citrusella Flugpucker, and Clair Cremecape. The rest of the racers cheer with delight for the nine racers who made tomorrow's roster.

"All right, I have an announcement for you all." Vanellope says, still standing on her podium. "I'm hosting a Halloween party at the castle this weekend, and you're all invited! Remember to come in costume!"

All the racers cheer, especially Gloyd. The costume party is news to everyone, even Clair.

"This could be my opportunity to truly become a knight..." Clair says, smiling to himself. "And Orangeboar, I will get my revenge..." he whispers as he watches Gloyd high-five Swizzle.

"And on Halloween, we're going to have a candy hunt! Everyone has to be in costume for this, too." Vanellope says excitedly as all the racers cheer.

Clair isn't paying attention. He's thinking about ways to get revenge on Gloyd.

"That's all, fellow racers! See you tomorrow before the arcade opens!" Vanellope says as she hops down from the podium and drives off. Rancis jumps in his kart and drives off behind her.

Gloyd leaves with Skittela, Dylan leaves with Taffyta, Herschel goes to the Chiller Bee Shake Shoppe with Sticky, and Barry, Bubblina, and Adorabeezle go to Barry's house for dinner and movie night.

Presley walks up to Clair. "Um, Clair? What do you want to do now that the roster race's over?" she asks the creampuff racer.

"Let's go to my house and watch me practice fencing, then maybe have some peppermint creampuffs?" Clair says to Presley, holding the peppermint girl's hand.

"Sure! I'd love that!" Presley says as she gets in the _Mint-Mobile_ while smiling at Clair.

The two of them drive off to Clair's house, smiling.

* * *

They arrive at Clair's house, and Presley looks around the outside of it. Clair had decorated the outside of his house with mellowcreme pumpkin garlands, candy skeletons dressed like knights, black licorice bats are hanging in the windows, his creampuff-bordered walkway has orange and gold lighting the path up like a golden road, and three mellowcreme pumpkins are stacked and have faces on them to make jack-o-lanterns.

"Wow, Clair! Your house looks great!" Presley says, smiling as she admires the decorations.

"Merci, mon ami." Clair says, grinning. "I worked on these decorations for hours on end. I'm glad my hard work paid off."

"It certainly did!" Presley says, smiling.

The two of them go in and Clair changes into his fencing outfit as Presley sits on the couch.

* * *

Moments later, Clair is doing a few fencing moves as Presley watches him.

"Oh, Clair, you're so dashing!" Presley says, smiling.

Clair grins behind his fencing mask as he continues to practice.

Presley smiles as she continues to watch Clair practice.

* * *

Later, Clair is in a white t-shirt that says "Sugar Knight- Ask Me How!", his cape, caramel-colored pajama pants with white stripes, white socks, and his hair is flattened down and falling into his face. He sits with Presley at the table, eating a peppermint creampuff and smiling.

"I swear, I will get revenge on that pumpkinheaded prankster..." Clair says, biting into the creampuff again.

"Why?" Presley asks Clair as she eats a creampuff.

"Because I'm sick of all his dirty tricks!" Clair says, clenching his fists.

"I know, my sweet creampuff." Presley says, smiling. Clair grins, because he knows Presley can call him that, but the other racers aren't allowed to call him that. "I can help you plan that revenge if you want me to. I do a lot of pranking myself."

"Oh, oui, Presley, I'd love your help!" Clair says, kissing Presley.

"Oh, Clair!" Presley says, giggling.

The two of them sit on the couch and make out.

What they don't know is that there's a certain swirl pop boy at the window with a camera, taking pictures of them kissing. He then runs away, laughing.


	11. Sugary Sweet Revenge

The days pass by quickly, and the weekend comes. Everyone was at the track that day, looking at a picture that Swizzle took.

"Bro, you know Clair is going to kill you for taking that, right?" Gloyd says, sitting on the hood of his kart.

Swizzle shrugs. "He's not gonna know..."

Just then, Clair walks up with Presley.

"Sacre bleu!" Clair shouts when he sees the picture. "Why did you take that picture? Why?!"

"Because you two are deeper in your relationship now, and it's at the point where people take pictures of the couple making out." Swizzle says as he puts the picture back in his jacket pocket. "Besides, I was doing Gloyd a favor!"

"And I love it!" Gloyd says, laughing.

"OH, YOU'RE GONNA GET IT NOW!" Clair says, starting to draw his sword.

"Clair! No!" Presley says, shouting at her creampuff-themed boyfriend. "You don't get violent with Swizzle! He's your best friend!"

"He tried to humiliate me! How is THAT friendly?" Clair says, angry and a bit a confused as he puts his sword away.

"Clair, just let it go. I mean, it's the first time he's ever done that to you." Presley says, stroking his hair.

"Mon dieu..." Clair says, breathing calmly. "All right, Presley. But Gloyd's gonna get it at the party tonight!" He leaves the track with Presley as the day's avatars get ready to race.

* * *

"Heh, heh...this is gonna be perfect..." Clair says, looking at the video he worked on for weeks.

"What's that, Clair?" Presley asks as she carries out the costume parts for their costumes. Presley's going to be a fairy, and Clair's going to be a knight.

"Okay, so you know how Gloyd's birthday is on Halloween, right?" Clair asks her.

"I know that. So, what is this video about?" Presley asks him once again.

"It's a compilation of his worst pranks yet, along with the videos from his 9th and 10th birthdays. On his ninth birthday, he spit on his cake. On his tenth birthday, he was pranked by having slime dumped on him." Clair explains to Presley as he puts the video compilation on a DVD.

"So, what's the plan for your revenge?" Presley asks him, putting a peppermint lollipop in her mouth.

"Well, they're going to have some spooky images being projected on movie screens around the party area. So, I'm gonna tell Vanellope to project this video on the screens when Gloyd blows out his candles tonight. She says that this costume party would also be his birthday party, so that way, we'll have more time for the candy hunt on Halloween. He gets his gifts on Halloween, though." Clair tells Presley.

"Oh, this is going to be great!" Presley says, smiling. "He deserves all this after the race the other day, pumpkin."

"I know he does, Presley. Now, we better get ready for the party, otherwise we won't have time to let Vanellope in on our plan when we get to the castle." Clair says, pulling out the parts for his knight costume.

"You're right, let's get ready!" Presley says, getting all the parts for her fairy costume out of the box.

The couple changes into their costumes, snickering about Gloyd's revenge.

* * *

That night at the party, Clair and Presley talk to Vanellope about their plan to get revenge on Gloyd.

"So, when Gloyd blows out his candles later, project this video on the screens around the party area." Clair explains to Vanellope.

Vanellope nods. "Got it, Clair. I'll be up here when it's time." She adjusts her Hero's Duty soldier costume, and goes to join the party.

* * *

The party is in full swing, with all the racers in costumes and talking. The candy servants had done a good job decorating the party room, hanging orange &amp; black streamers, jack-o-lantern balloons, black licorice bats hanging from the ceiling, and a bubble machine blowing bubbles all over the room. Banners saying "Happy Halloween!" and "Happy Birthday, Gloyd!" hang on opposite sides of the room above several tables holding food and different kinds of candy and screens around the party room are projecting some spooky images. A haunted house cake with 12 orange candles on it sits on a separate table, surrounded with plates patterned with pictures of pumpkins, bats, and candy corn, along with silver forks and an orange cake knife.

The DJ is playing "Monster Mash", with the racers dancing and having a good time.

"Cool costume, Clair!" Swizzle says, running up to him. Swizzle's dressed as a skeleton, with a skull mask, a black bodysuit with white bones on it forming the other parts of the skeleton, skeleton hand gloves, and black shoe covers that look like skeleton feet.

"Thanks, Swizzle!" Clair says, looking down at his knight costume. "Don't I look...chivalrous?" Clair takes out his sword, posing like a brave knight.

"I'll say!" Swizzle says, smiling. "Did you see Minty's costume?"

"Oui, indeed I did. She looks really good as a zombie gymnast. The tattered green leotard really gives it a good touch." Clair says, getting some orange frosted eclairs.

"Ooooooh, the DJ's playing my favorite song! Let's go dance!" Swizzle tells Clair as Clair finishes his food.

"Oui, let's dance!" Clair says, running out on the dance floor with Swizzle, having the time of his life.

* * *

Some time later, it was time to cut the haunted house cake, and all the racers surround the table as Gloyd stands close to the cake. As you can probably tell, Gloyd is dressed as the king of Halloween. He's wearing an orange &amp; black robe, a black cape with silver bats on it, a crown with candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins on it, and he's holding a scepter with a light up jack-o-lantern toy on it.

Candlehead lights the candles on the cake, then everyone sings "Happy Birthday" to Gloyd. As everyone sings, Vanellope quickly disappears to the media room, waiting for the right time to start the video.

As soon as everyone stops singing, Gloyd makes a wish and blows out the candles on the haunted house cake.

"NOW!" Clair yells to Vanellope, who nods and starts the video.

* * *

(Video Content)

*Clair appears on-screen*

Clair: Bonjour, ladies and gentlemen. And welcome to "The Gloyd Show", a show where I'm going to show all of you a pranking pumpkinhead who has pranked everyone in this game. *Gloyd's picture appears* Now, to start the show, I have a video compilation to show you all his failed pranks. Enjoy!

*a video of Gloyd's failed pranks starts to play. Taffyta chasing Gloyd when a bucket of chocolate syrup falls on her head instead of Crumbelina's, the whoopie cushion not working when Swizzle sits in a chair, Clair punching Gloyd after he did a trick with his cape (cutting his cape in pieces and trying to make it reappear like new again), Rancis coming out with blue hair as it falls out of his head, Gloyd switching out Skittela's katana with a chocolate sword and failing, and many more pranks play*

Clair: Now, we show some very embarrassing videos of Gloyd, starting with his ninth birthday, where he spit all over the cake.

*a video clip of Gloyd's ninth birthday begins to play in the party room as the guys laugh and the girls make sick faces. Gloyd is blushing furiously*

Clair: And this is his tenth birthday, where he got pranked!

*a video clip of Gloyd getting covered in green gelatin slime plays, and the racers laugh hysterically, with Gloyd turning even redder than before*

Clair: Finally, a clip of the day he got tortured by Witchy and Licorice.

*the full torture video plays as the racers laugh at Gloyd*

Clair: You made me mad and made me seek revenge on your candy ass, so this video is for you. And just so I can clarify this, you are Gloyd Orangeboar, the original Loser-O-Matic, the crud between my toes, and the guy that makes my code boil over with rage. So, let's cut to the chase, Orangeboar. We HATE you!

*video ends here*

* * *

Gloyd is on his knees, crying as the racers all watch him.

"How do you feel now, pumpkinhead? How does it feel to be embarrassed in front of your friends?" Presley says, looking at the crying pumpkin boy.

"I-I-I h-h-hate i-i-it..." Gloyd says, sniffling. "I want to say something to your boyfriend...i-if I can."

"Okay. CLAIR!" Presley yells to her boyfriend. "Gloyd wants to talk to you."

Clair goes over to the pumpkin boy. "What is it, Gloyd?" Clair asks him, adjusting his knight helmet.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry about EVERYTHING!" Gloyd says, grabbing Clair's cape. "I'll do anything to earn your forgiveness! ANYTHING!"

"Anything, you say?" Clair asks him. "Well, I think you should be my slave for an entire week, and you will be my fencing partner when I practice."

Gloyd nods. "Sure, anything for you, master..."

Clair smiles and goes to get him some cake.

* * *

Revenge is SWEET, especially in a game called Sugar Rush!


	12. Gloyd's A Slave For Clair

The day after the party, Gloyd shows up to Clair's house and knocks on the door.

"Bonjour, Gloyd. Please come in!" Clair says, smiling. "Ready for our deal?"

Gloyd nods. "Is there anything you'd like me to do for you, Clair?" he asks, bowing.

"In fact, yes, it's time for my morning fencing practice. So, go put on the fencing uniform and prepare to meet your maker!" Clair says, smiling.

Gloyd nods and changes into the fencing uniform, trembling a bit. He fears the worst as Clair starts his fencing practice.

"En garde!" Clair yells out as he takes out his rock candy sabre and starts to jab it into Gloyd's side.

"Hey!" Gloyd yells as he jumps back, defending himself.

Clair continues to make Gloyd suffer through his fencing practice, Gloyd being his practice target.

* * *

One hour later, it was time for Clair to have lunch with Presley at the Candy Gardens restaurant, and Gloyd still walks around trying to do stuff for Clair, like brushing his hair and adjusting his cape.

"Gloyd!" Clair yells out. "Do not touch my fudging cape with your filthy hands! Do you know how much this cost me? This cape is VERY expensive!"

"Sorry, master." Gloyd says. "I'll scrub my hands…"

"See that you do." Clair says.

Gloyd goes off to wash his hands as Clair speaks again.

"Now, Gloyd, I'm going out to lunch with Presley. I want you to clean this place. Clean my bedroom, wash the dishes, dust the living room, clean the fireplace, and wash the clothes. Do NOT wash my capes. All my capes are DRY CLEAN only. Put my capes in a box and I will take them to the dry cleaning place when I get back." Clair says, a hint of firmness in his voice.

"Yes, master." Gloyd says.

"Good. Now I have to go." Clair says, grabbing his kart keys. "I expect a clean house when I come home." He starts the _Chouxvalier _and drives off to meet Presley for lunch.

* * *

After Clair is gone, he starts cleaning Clair's bedroom, then after that, he washes and dries the dishes, putting them away in the process. As he's dusting the living room, however, he starts thinking to himself.

"I wish I could be out pranking instead of being creampuff boy's slave. But I have to do as Master Clair says…or else." Gloyd says, trembling at the thought of what Clair could do to him if the chores didn't get done.

He cleans the fireplace, then goes to Clair's laundry room. He sees the piles of clothes in the baskets sitting on the floor, even Clair's collection of capes.

"What did Clair say do with these again?" Gloyd wonders, and then remembers that he has to put them in a box so Clair can take them to the dry cleaners after he comes home.

Gloyd puts all of Clair's capes into a box and puts the box in a place where Clair can find it, then starts a load of clothes in the washer, then he goes and cleans the rest of the house as the clothes are washing.

* * *

After washing the clothes, he hangs the clothes out to dry as Clair comes home from lunch.

"Master!" Gloyd says, getting on his knees. "The house is clean, all of it. Everything is spotless."

"I'll be the judge of that." Clair says, looking around the house. Indeed, Gloyd was right. Clair's bedroom was clean and spotless, the dishes were washed, dried, and neatly put away, the living room was dusted, the fireplace got cleaned, and all the clothes are washed and hung out to dry. And Clair finds his capes in a box to go to the dry cleaners.

"Everything seems to be in order, Gloyd. Now, as my slave, I expect the best out of you. This is only day one of your slavery. You have six more days of this." Clair says, pacing the floor.

Gloyd trembles at all the stuff that Clair could possibly have planned for the week.

* * *

For the next six days, Gloyd cooks, cleans, and devotes his time to Clair as his personal slave. On the last day of his slave week, Presley comes over.

"Hello, Clair!" Presley says, smiling.

"Bonjour, my sweet flower." Clair says, smiling back at her. "Ready for dinner?"

"You bet I am! What's cooking, baby?" Presley asks Clair.

"Well, sugar, we're having peppermint leaf salad and fried candy prawns, made by Gloyd." Clair tells Presley.

"Mmmmmm, my favorite dinner!" Presley says, smiling.

Gloyd had just finished making the salad, and he starts frying the candy prawns as Clair and Presley talk.

"So, you excited about the candy hunt on Halloween?" Presley asks Clair as Gloyd serves the salad.

"I sure am! You think she'll hide the candy in good places?" Clair asks Presley as he takes a bite of the salad.

"I hope so!" Presley says. "It all sounds so exciting!"

Gloyd finishes frying the candy prawns and serves two plates of them to Clair and Presley.

"Thank you, Gloyd. Now, go clean up the mess in the kitchen." Clair says as he starts eating his dinner.

Gloyd nods and starts cleaning up the kitchen.

After dinner, Clair and Presley are watching television as Gloyd is serving as a footstool for Clair.

Clair thinks the slave week gave Gloyd a little bit of purpose and Gloyd got what he deserved by being Clair's slave.


	13. Honey's Birthday

This chapter is dedicated to VickyT36. Happy 18th Birthday! Hope you have the sweetest day ever!

* * *

Four days after Clair's slave routine with Gloyd, the racers were just finishing up their daily roster race.

Today was no ordinary day, however. Today was Honey's birthday! Being the shyest racer in Sugar Rush, she had never had a proper birthday party because she was always busy reading something or working on a new honey recipe. Last year Bubblina took her out for a birthday dinner at one of her favorite restaurants, just her and Honey.

As Honey drives along in her Honey Mobile, passing Minty for second place, she thinks about her birthday a little more.

"What if they forgot about my birthday? Well, Bubblina and my bees never forget my birthday. Every year, Bubblina throws me a party or takes me to dinner. But, still, I'm convinced my friends, except for Bubblina, forgot my birthday." Honey says, smiling.

The race continues as the racers drive toward the finish line, laughing and having a good time.

* * *

"Let's hear it for tomorrow's avatars!" Vanellope yells from her podium as the crowd cheers for Herschel Nougatson, Honey Potts, Minty Zaki, Swizzle Malarkey, Rancis Fluggerbutter, Candlehead, Snowanna Rainbeau, Bubblina Gumdrop, and Skittela Starburst. The other racers clap for the racers who made tomorrow's roster, smiling as they know they'll get another chance to make the roster at the next roster race.

As soon as the crowd quiets down and starts dispersing, Honey's bees buzz happily next to her.

"Hello, Buzz, Bumble, Stinger." Honey says, smiling as they nuzzle her cheeks. "It's good to see you guys..."

The bees buzz the birthday song in her ear, and she smiles. "Yes, guys, today is my birthday." Honey says, giggling quietly. "I am officially 12 years old today. I don't look any older, though. I feel older, though, and that has to count for something."

She gets in her kart and drives off to her honey farm, her bees following close behind.

* * *

She arrives at her honey farm, making sure everything's set for tomorrow's between-race work. She always has to make sure there's enough of her spread and honey-nut muffins ready for the next day. Ever since she invented "Honey's Spread", the racers went crazy for it, and ever since then, she's been selling it at her honey farm. She also used her honey for other things, like her famous honey-nut muffins and honey cake.

She takes inventory on everything, checks the hives for honey, and makes a few batches of honey-nut muffins for the next day.

"There we go." Honey says, smiling. Her bees buzz beside her, trying to tell her that she forgot to do something.

"What's that?" Honey asks her bees. "I forgot to do what?"

Stinger flies toward a bag of honey-flavored cake mix.

"Oh, I forgot to make honey cake for tomorrow!" Honey says. "But I always do that between races during the day, Stinger. I never forget to do that." She then pulls her racing jacket over her outfit, and adjusts her glasses. "Well, everything seems to be in order for tomorrow, guys. We can go now."

Buzz, Bumble, and Stinger buzz happily as they follow Honey out the door. Honey then gets in her kart, and starts driving away from her honey farm.

* * *

As she drives, she gets a call from Bubblina. "Hello?" Honey says, answering her phone.

"Hey, Honey! Um, can you come to the Candy Gardens restaurant around, say, 8:30 tonight? I want to do your birthday dinner a little later this year." Bubblina says, a hint of happiness in her voice.

"Sure, Bubbles. I'll be there." Honey says, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Okay, then, see you then!" Bubblina says. "Bye!"

Honey hangs up. "She never does my birthday dinner that late. I don't get it..."

Her bees buzz beside her, concerned.

"I'm fine. guys. Really, I am." Honey says, thinking some more. "She normally schedules my birthday dinner for 7:30. Why did she schedule it for an hour later?" She wonders that as she drives along Candy Cane Lane.

* * *

At the Candy Gardens restaurant, all the racers were decorating one of their party rooms for Honey's birthday party.

"So, is she coming at 8:30, sis?" Barry asks his sister.

Bubblina nods, smiling. "Yep. But she sounded a bit sad when I talked to her."

"Does she think we forgot?" Adorabeezle asks Bubblina.

"I don't know...she's never felt like that on her birthday before." Bubblina says, scratching her head in confusion. "She normally knows that we remembered her birthday. I guess she probably thought different this year."

"Oh." Adorabeezle says as she finishes hanging streamers.

"Well, I know this will make her happy!" Presley says, looking around the room.

"Indeed it will, my sweet flower." Clair says as he puts the finishing touches on Honey's beehive cake. The cake is a honey-flavored cake in the shape of a beehive, with candy bees buzzing around it, and it has 12 yellow and black striped candles on it. "She's especially going to love her birthday cake. I made it myself."

"That looks good..." Dylan says, drooling slightly, but Clair quickly catches Dylan trying to sneak some frosting.

"Wait until the party, Lancer." Clair says. "I don't want Honey's cake to be ruined."

"All right, Clair. I'll wait." Dylan says, sitting with Taffyta.

Soon, everything is prepared for Honey's birthday party. Bubblina checks the clock on the wall. The clock reads 8:25.

"Oh, Mod, she'll be here in five minutes! Okay, listen, let's not yell 'Surprise!' at her when she shows up. You guys know how shy she is. Just wish her a happy birthday when she walks through the door." Bubblina says, smiling. "Now, let's get in position."

The racers nod and get together, waiting for Honey to show up.

* * *

Around 8:30, Honey drives up to the Candy Gardens Restaurant and parks her kart. She gets out with her bees following close behind her.

"Excuse me?" Honey says to a candy valet in the front of the restaurant.

"Yes, young lady?" the peppermint waiter replies, looking at Honey.

"My friend called me here, and I want to know where she is." Honey says, looking at the peppermint waiter.

"Ah, the bubblegum girl. She came this way." The peppermint waiter says, pointing to a big room in the back of the restaurant. "I'll be glad to take you to her."

"Please do." Honey says. The peppermint waiter nods and takes Honey to the big room where Bubblina and the others are waiting. The waiter opens the door, leading Honey into the room.

"Happy Birthday, Honey!" Bubblina says, running up to Honey.

"Bubbles!" Honey says, hugging her. "What is all this?"

"I decided to throw you a party with all our friends here. Like I say sometimes, what's a birthday without all your friends here?"

"Oh, Bubbles, I don't know what to say..." Honey says, smiling as everyone is smiling at her.

"You don't have to say anything. Let's just have fun, all right?" Bubblina tells Honey.

"All right, Bubbles." Honey says, joining the party.

* * *

Soon, it's time for cake, and Clair sets it in the middle of the table, lighting the candles.

"Wow...I love this cake!" Honey says, smiling and staring at the 12 candles on top of it.

"I knew you would!" Clair says, smiling.

The racers sing "Happy Birthday" to Honey, then Honey makes a wish and blows out her candles.

Bubblina cuts the cake, and gives Honey the first piece.

"Mmmmm...honey cake, my favorite!" Honey says, eating a bite of her cake.

The racers eat the cake while talking and laughing, having a good time.

* * *

After cake, it was time to open presents. Honey opens them all until she gets to Bubblina's.

So far, she had gotten yellow and black-striped racing goggles from Vanellope, honey-flavored lollipops from Taffyta, peppermint perfume from Adorabeezle, kart tools from Gloyd, a plush bee from Crumbelina, a green hard candy vase with honeysuckles from Minty, a blanket patterned with bees from Snowanna, a gold mirror from Rancis, cherry kart decorations from Jubileena, a personalized racing helmet from Swizzle, honey-scented candles from Candlehead, a bee-themed snowglobe from Nougetsia, blueberry-scented air fresheners for her kart from Citrusella, butterscotch candy from Torvald, salt water taffy from Sticky, some books about bees from Herschel, a white gummy bear toy from Dylan, gumball earbuds from Barry, a creampuff hat from Clair, licorice pieces from Licorice, a honeycomb-shaped purse from Presley, and a yellow scarf from Skittela.

She opens Bubblina's gift to reveal a photo album. "Wow..." Honey says as she opens the album. "There's pictures of us in here, Bubbles!"

"I know, it's a friendship scrapbook! Do you like it?" Bubblina asks her.

"I love it!" Honey says, smiling. "Thank you!"

This birthday is one Honey will never forget, and deep down, she probably will never forget it.


	14. Clair Cremecape's 1st Racing Anniversary

(Today's Roster: Taffyta Muttonfudge, Candlehead, Presley Peppermint, Minty Zaki, Dylan Lancer, Swizzle Malarkey, Licorice Liqued, Adorabeezle Winterpop, and Honey Potts)

* * *

The week before Halloween, after Honey's birthday, everyone was enjoying their day, racing or enjoying time off from racing. Today, however, was no ordinary day.

Clair Cremecape, French pastry racer, was celebrating his very first racing anniversary today, and since he wasn't on the roster, he decides to go and play his flute. Playing the flute was one of Clair's favorite things besides swordplay, and it always gave him a sense of peace.

As he plays his flute, he thinks about peaceful things, like the beach and a field of colorful lollipop flowers, imagining himself in those peaceful places. But he can't help but think of how he plans to celebrate his first racing anniversary.

"Oui, it is my first racing anniversary today..." Clair says as he stops playing his flute. "Mon dieu...what shall I do to celebrate?" He lays on his back in the red licorice grass and thinks of ways to celebrate his racing anniversary.

* * *

Meanwhile, Presley had won two gamer-controlled races and was putting her second gold trophy into her kart as she remembers what today is.

"Clair's raced for a year...and today is his one-year racing anniversary! How exciting!" Presley says, smiling.

"Why are you so happy, Pres?" Swizzle asks Presley as he's putting his first silver second-place trophy of the day into the _Tongue Twister_.

"Today is Clair's racing anniversary, Swizz! That's why I'm happy!" Swizzle says.

"Well, that is something!" Swizzle says, chuckling lightly. "As his best friend, I should help you plan something extra special for him."

"Really? You'll help me?" Presley asks Swizzle, who smiles at her.

"Of course I will. What're friends for?" Swizzle says, smiling. "We'll go between races to get everything we need, like food, candy, a cake, and a few modest decorations, like balloons and a banner. Clair's first racing anniversary is going to be one to remember."

"Wow...I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees everything!" Presley says, smiling.

Soon, another quarter alert sounds, and the two racers get back in their starting positions to get another race started as they smile at one another.

* * *

Clair is at the Jelly Fruit Springs, getting himself some of Swizzle's famous "Starfruit Soda" while having a few eclairs for lunch. As he eats a chocolate eclair, he tries to think about how he plans to celebrate his racing anniversary.

"Hmmmmm..." Clair says as he takes a sip of his soda. "Maybe I could go to the Sugarcube Square Theater and see a musical...or I could take a casual drive around Cereal Box Canyon...I could also take my childhood memories into account and play by myself in Peppermint Park, just to bring back memories. Or maybe I'll treat myself to dinner at Truffle Garden." Clair ponders over all the things he thought about doing to celebrate his racing anniversary. Then he gets an idea.

"Maybe I could do all those things!" Clair says, almost spilling his soda on his clothes in excitement. He finishes his lunch and soda, then gathers up his kart keys, determined to make this his best racing anniversary ever as he drives away from the Jelly Fruit Springs.

* * *

Meanwhile, Presley was at the Maple Street Bakery and Cafe, trying to find the perfect anniversary cake for Clair.

"Ooooooh...this one is PERFECT for Clair!" Presley says, eyeing a cake with vanilla creampuffs around the bottom of it, fluffy white icing, colored sprinkles, cookies &amp; cream flavored bon-bons, and the inscription "Happy Racing Anniversary" written on top of it in white chocolate-flavored icing. All Presley had to do was get someone to put Clair's name on the cake, and it would be perfect. She rings the bell at the front counter, and a well-dressed lollipop girl comes out with a frilly pink apron on, the front of the apron covered in powdered sugar.

"How can I help you today, young lady?" the lollipop girl asks Presley, smiling sweetly at her.

"Yes, I'd like this cake for my boyfriend's racing anniversary today. He's been racing for an entire year already, and I plan to make this day special for him!" Presley says, showing the lollipop girl the cake she chose.

"Oh, absolutely! I can get you this cake right away!" the lollipop girl says as she places it in a pink cake box that says "Maple Street Bakery &amp; Cafe" on it in fancy gold script.

"Who's the cake for?" she asks, taking out a bottle of white chocolate-flavored syrup.

"It's for Clair. Clair is my boyfriend!" Presley says, smiling.

The lollipop girl writes Clair's name on the cake, and closes the cake box. She then hands it to Presley. "There you go, young lady. That'll be 20 gold coins!"

Presley pays the lollipop girl 20 gold coins for the cake, and smiles. "Thank you!" she says as she walks out the door with the cake in her hands.

"Okay, so the cake is covered. Swizzle's taking care of the decorations, so I have to take this cake back to my house before the next quarter alert, then get party food on my next break." Presley says, driving the _Mint-Mobile _back to her house. As soon as she gets back to her house, she puts the cake in her refrigerator, then leaves the house to race once again.

Planning Clair's first racing anniversary was a lot of hard work, but Presley knows it's going to be worth it when she sees how happy Clair will be.

* * *

Meanwhile, Clair was doing everything he thought of doing to celebrate his anniversary. He went and saw "Creampuff Revolution: The Musical" at the Sugarcube Square Theater, took a casual drive and around Cereal Box Canyon, and now he's at Peppermint Park, swinging on the swings while thinking about how he's made it through a whole year in Sugar Rush while racing.

"Mon dieu...it really has been one heck of a year for me..." Clair says, smiling.

He swings higher on the swings, not noticing Rancis next to him.

"Hi, Clair!" Rancis says, smiling at him. "I heard it was your first racing anniversary, and well, I got you a little something..." he says, handing Clair a present.

"Merci, Rancis." Clair says, opening the gift. "Wow...I love it..." The gift is a pair of cream-colored racing goggles and cinnamon-scented hair products. Clair smiles and puts the gifts back into their box, hugging Rancis. "Merci."

"You're welcome, Clair. How does it feel to have raced for an entire year already?" Rancis asks, adjusting his peanut butter cup hat.

"It feels great! Racing gives me so much perspective, so much purpose, and lots of reasons to have a good time on and off the track." Clair says, fiddling with the strings on his cape.

"I feel the same way you do about racing, Cremecape. Racing does give you a bit of purpose, now that you think about it. It does give you a lot of reasons to have fun on and off the track." Rancis says, smiling.

"So, what are your plans for the day, since there's no roster race today?" Clair asks Rancis.

"I don't know, really. I was just hanging around here, trying to ease my boredom. I looked in all my mirrors, brushed my hair five times today, and went clothes shopping at the mall. But after doing all that stuff, I became bored and came here. Man, this place brings back so many memories..." Rancis says, smiling.

"Tell me about it, Rancis. Peppermint Park was where I first practiced swordplay at age 5, and I had my 1st birthday party here..." Clair says, smiling.

"I first met Crumbelina here when I was 3, and me and Crumbelina had our first picnic here as well. We also shared our first kiss under a very special tree here in Peppermint Park." Rancis says, pointing to the Lemonhead candy tree. "That tree was the site of where me and Crumbs shared our very first kiss."

"Mon ami, that is awesome..." Clair says, smiling. "How long have you been dating Crumbelina?"

"For about two years now, going on three." Rancis says, blushing.

"Wow...astounding!" Clair says, smiling.

The two boys spend time in the park, pointing out all their best memories that they had there.

* * *

Later that day, after the final race of the day, Presley goes to Sugar Rush Market to pick up stuff for Clair's anniversary party.

"Let's see...vanilla creampuffs, chocolate eclairs, ice cream, chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies, drinks...what else is needed for Clair's anniversary party?" Presley says, pushing her shopping cart. "Oh, a candle for Clair's anniversary cake!" she says, putting a yellow #1 candle in the cart while smiling. "Okay, that's everything!"

She pushes the cart to the checkout line, buys all the stuff for Clair's anniversary party, and she loads everything into her kart, then she drives back to her house, where she finds Swizzle decorating with caramel-colored balloons with the number 1 all over them, caramel and white streamers, and a banner that says "Happy First Racing Anniversary, Clair Cremecape!" in chocolate brown and caramel-colored letters on a white background, bordered with pictures of French pastries.

"Wow, cool decorations, Swizz! He'll just love them!" Presley says, arranging the food and the cake on the kitchen table.

"Thanks, Pres. The food looks awesome! And so does the cake!" Swizzle says as he hangs the banner.

"I know. The cake is perfect for him!" Presley says, smiling.

The two racers make sure everything is ready, then they wait for Clair to show up.

* * *

Clair leaves Peppermint Park, smiling as he drives along Wintermint Way.

"Maybe I should visit Presley. I haven't seen her all day." Clair says, driving toward Presley's house. Clair's phone rings as he drives.

"Hello? Oh, bonjour, Presley! Sure, I'm on my way over to see you, anyway. All right, au revoir, mon ami." Clair says, smiling. "Well, I guess I have to really go to Presley's house now."

He pulls into her driveway and puts the _Chouxvalier _in park, then he gets out and walks toward Presley's front door, knocking on it several times.

Presley answers the door, smiling. "Hello, Clair. Won't you come in?" she says, ushering the creampuff racer inside.

"Oui, of course, Presley. Anything for you!" Clair says, smiling. Presley turns on her lights.

"Happy First Racing Anniversary, Clair!" Presley and Swizzle say, smiling at him.

"Merci, merci!" Clair says, smiling. "You did all this for me?"

"We sure did! We didn't want your racing anniversary to go by without a celebration, and we thought we'd celebrate with you!" Swizzle says, smiling at his best friend. "Now, let's party!"

The three racers eat cookies, creampuffs, eclairs, and ice cream, drink soda, and share some great racing memories.

* * *

Later, Presley lights the candle on Clair's anniversary cake, smiling at her creampuff-themed boyfriend.

"Oh, what a fantastic cake! Simply magnifique!" Clair says, smiling.

"I'm glad you like it, honey." Presley says, smiling.

"Make your anniversary wish, creampuff!" Swizzle says, smiling as well.

For the first time, Clair didn't care if Swizzle called him "creampuff", because now he realizes Swizzle can call him that, too. He closes his eyes and thinks of his racing anniversary wish.

"I wish to make many more memories with all my fellow racers and for Presley to love me forever!" Clair thinks as he opens his eyes and blows out the candle with Presley and Swizzle cheering for him.

"Thanks so much for this anniversary surprise, I love you guys..." Clair says, blushing modestly as Presley cuts the cake.

"You're welcome, Clair. Anything for you." Presley says, smiling as she offers Clair a piece of cake.

"Yeah, we love you too much to not do all this for you." Swizzle says. "As your best friend, I'll do anything to make you happy."

The three racers eat cake, talking and laughing.

* * *

After cake, Clair opens his anniversary gifts from Presley and Swizzle. Presley got him some caramel-colored racing gloves with white swirls on it, along with a matching helmet, and Swizzle got him a caramel-colored tracksuit with white stripes on it, along with a die cast model of the _Chouxvalier _with a small figure of Clair inside it.

"Merci, Swizzle and Presley, the gifts are great!" Clair says, smiling.

"You're welcome, Clair!" The two racers say at the same time as they smile at Clair.

"This is the best racing anniversary ever!" Clair says, smiling. "Thanks to you guys, this anniversary is one I'll always remember!"

Swizzle and Presley smile at Clair, happy they could make Clair's first racing anniversary a great one.


	15. A Day At Sugar Beach

In Sugar Rush, with the arcade closed for the weekend while Litwak was in Florida for a well-deserved beach vacation, the Sugar Rush racers were all feeling bored. So, at the castle, several racers were all chiming in with suggestions on what to do to ease their boredom.

"What about climbing Popsicle Peak?" Adorabeezle says, playing with her braid.

"No way, Beez." Barry says. "We did that last time, and Gloyd wound up with several broken bones."

"What about game jumping?" Dylan asks.

"No, Dylan. Remember what happened the last time we game jumped?" Vanellope says to him.

"Oh, yes, the Surge Protector made us come back to Sugar Rush after almost dying in Hero's Duty." Dylan says, suddenly remembering the massive cy-bug they encountered.

"I have a suggestion!" Vanellope says, smiling.

"What is it, Miss President?" Minty asks, laying her head on Swizzle's chest.

"We can go to Sugar Beach. Even it is fall, the beach is open year round in our game, and it's less crowded now that summer's over." Vanellope says. "Plus, this can be an opportunity for us to actually have a beach party."

All the racers nod in agreement to Vanellope's idea.

"C'est magnifique!" Clair shouts excitedly.

"I'll say! The beach does sound relaxing..." Skittela says, smiling. "It'll give me a chance to show off my volleyball skills." She smirks at Gloyd, who smiles at her.

"You're on, Skits!" Gloyd says, smiling at his Skittles-themed girlfriend. "You'll see what I can do!"

"Okay, so we'll head to the beach after breakfast. Bring a beach towel and anything else you might need." Vanellope says. "Meet back here in an hour, and we'll head there together."

All the racers nod and rush home to get ready.

* * *

At Clair's house, he packs his caramel and white striped beach towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, a creampuff-themed beach hat, and a change of clothes to wear after swimming. He then looks around the room, making sure nobody else is around, then pulls out a pair of arm floats and a Wintergreen Life Saver swim ring. The truth behind those things is: Clair can't swim. If anyone found out about Clair's little secret, he'd be really embarrassed.

He finishes packing his beach bag, still thinking about his little secret. He then puts on a white t-shirt and a pair of cinnamon-colored swim trunks along with a pair of brown sandals, grabs his beach bag and kart keys, then he leaves to meet the others at the castle.

* * *

At the castle, all the racers were in their swimsuits, talking about what they'll do at the beach. Vanellope was making sure she had everything they needed for a beach party, such as marshmallow burgers, cookie dough hot dogs, drinks, ice cream, and other goodies.

The racers were looking forward to a day at Sugar Beach. Clair was looking forward to it, too, but mostly because he would get to spend time with Presley. He tries hard to not think about the secret he's hiding.

"All right, everyone, we can head to the beach now!" Vanellope says as she loads all the beach party supplies into her kart.

Everyone cheers and hops into their karts, then they drive off to Sugar Beach, excited for a well-deserved day of fun.

* * *

At Sugar Beach, the racers hop out of their karts and head for the beach, most of the couples already putting on sunscreen and heading for the water. Some of the others start volleyball games or spread out their beach towels and relax.

Clair sits on his beach towel, trying to make sure nobody sees him. "Mon dieu...I'm certain everyone will find out my secret..." Clair says, slowly slipping the arm floats over each of his arms and puts on his swim ring. "If they find out I can't swim like the rest of them..."

All of a sudden, Presley appears next to him, dressed in her red and white peppermint-stripe bikini. "What's wrong, creampuff?" she asks him.

"I'm hiding a secret, mon cherie..." Clair says, struggling to hold back tears.

"Clair, tell me your secret. I'll make sure it's kept between me and you." Presley says, kneeling on the towel next to him.

"Promise?" Clair asks her.

"Cross my heart, hope to die, and stick a candy cane in my eye. That means I promise to keep it between us." Presley says, smiling.

"O-Okay, then...here goes...I can't swim..." Clair says, shaking.

"You can't swim?" Presley asks him.

"No, I can't..." Clair says, looking at his feet. "That's why I have to have arm floats and a swim ring. I'm afraid of what the others are gonna think of me when they see me with this stuff on."

"Now, Clair, I'll be with you. There's no need to be afraid of what the others are gonna think. Want to come get some Dr. Pepper with me? Vanellope's starting lunch, and I'm sure you could use something to drink." Presley says, taking Clair's hand.

"Sure, mon ami, that sounds fine by me." Clair says, smiling.

The two of them head toward the area where the beach party is.

* * *

At the beach party, the racers were all eating marshmallow burgers or drinking sodas of all sorts. Some were still in the middle of their volleyball games while some racers just stood around and talked.

"So, you looking forward to your birthday, Crumbs?" Rancis asks his Italian dessert-themed girlfriend as he takes a bit of some Reese's peanut butter cup ice cream.

"Not really, Rancykins..." Crumbelina says, looking down.

"Why?" Rancis asks her, a look of concern on his face.

"Well...I've never had an actual party on my birthday, let alone a decent cake. Last year, I made some chocolate mousse, and used that as a cake." Crumbelina says, looking at Rancis as she eats a biscotti cookie.

"Oh, my sweet caramel latte, that's just awful..." Rancis says to her. "How about I plan you a birthday to remember?"

"Really?" Crumbelina says, her ears perking up.

"Of course. I'll do anything for you, sweetie pie..." Rancis says, looking at Crumbelina as he flashes a sweet smile towards her.

Crumbelina smiles back at him. "Okay, Rancy...I would love that..." she says, grabbing Orange Crush sodas for the two of them.

* * *

Clair and Presley are finishing a lunch of cookie dough hot dogs and peppermint creampuffs, talking and just being a couple.

"Hey, look at the baby!" Minty points out, seeing Clair's Life Saver swim ring.

"Why is he wearing that thing?" Taffyta asks, licking her lollipop.

Everyone, except for Presley, Vanellope, Rancis, Swizzle, Herschel, Sticky, and Jubileena laugh at the creampuff racer, who is blushing.

"Stop laughing at my boyfriend!" Presley says, standing on the table.

The laughing racers shut up quickly and look at Presley. Swizzle speaks up shortly after they all get quiet.

"Do you really want to know why he's wearing that swim ring?" Swizzle asks the racers who laughed at Clair.

"We sure do." Gloyd replies.

"The truth behind that swim ring is that Clair isn't a very good swimmer. You guys should be ashamed to even be laughing at him. I know that deep down, you all have your own little secrets." Swizzle says, defending Clair. "Some of you may suck your thumbs in your sleep, you may have farted in public, you may have a secret nobody else might not want to know, and some of you may even have an embarassing moment that nobody has to know about. So, before you laugh at or make fun of someone who can't swim or someone who can't share their embarrassing secrets, think about what _you're_ hiding."

All the racers who laughed at Clair are now ashamed of themselves after hearing what Swizzle said.

* * *

As the beach day winds down, Clair eventually takes a dip in the ocean, finding that the shallow end is the safest place for him.

"See, Clair, the ocean isn't nothing to be scared of..." Presley says, smiling.

"I know, mon ami. The water isn't too bad...I think I'll be okay." Clair says, smiling back at Presley.

The couple smiles as they swim.

* * *

At the end of the beach day, the racers all go back to their karts, but Clair meets Swizzle at his kart.

"Thanks for defending me." Clair tells Swizzle.

"Anything for a friend." Swizzle says, hugging Clair.

The two boys hop into their karts and leave with the others. Today's beach day was deemed a success.


End file.
